Building a puzzle of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in South Africa : competencies, graduateness and employability

Abstract:

A picture paints a thousand words. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are under
constant pressure to prepare students for the world of work. Competencies that
make students more employable are needed, but in a changing world more and
more are expected from those entering for example government departments.
This requires that those leaving universities should be individuals epitomising the
elements of graduateness. It is imperative that university programmes incorporate
competencies into curricula that will make students more employable as well
as embody graduateness. This article provides an overview of the concepts
graduateness, employability and competencies. An exploration of the literature
reveals how these concepts can be incorporated into the curriculum of HEI
programmes. It can be concluded that if a university leaver needs to be more than
just employable, a different competency skill base needs to be part and parcel of
the curriculum. This article explores specifi cally the various competencies required
for graduates entering the world of work.